In this first volume of Power Chord Studies, you'll explore a versatile palette of power chords to use when comping and soloing. Even if you are already familiar with basic power chords, this pack will take your mastery of the different types of power chords to a whole new level. These voicings and fingerings can be used in almost any musical setting from rock and pop to funk and jazz.
About the Chord Studies Series
If Forest Gump’s shrimp-loving Bubba played guitar, his take on chords might go something like this, ”You can strum ‘em, fingerpick ‘em, arpeggiate ‘em, mute ‘em, alternate tune ‘em, voice lead ‘em. Dey’s uh, barre chords, altered chords, extended chords, moveable chords, cluster chords, slash chords, inversions, triads, diads. There’s jazz chords, power chords, blues chords, cowboy chords, block chords, open chords…”
Bubba would be right — there’s a wide and wonderful world of chords for we guitarists to explore. But what’s the best way to do that? Chord dictionaries might be handy references but there’s no context (and really, when’s the last time you looked at one of those?).
Theory and harmony instructionals are filled with chord construction strategies and applications and we highly recommend digging as deep into the science of chords as your left brain will allow you.
However, learning new chords, progressions, applications and right-hand techniques in a musical context (songs, etudes, jamming with other players, etc.) is the most popular approach and that is the educational premise behind Brad’s Carlton’s Chord Studies course seres.
Each edition of Chord Studies features 15 play-along and jammable chord studies, which are focused on a particular chord type, chord progression or chord application. While Brad does touch on rhythmic qualities, this is not a rhythm guitar course — these studies are specifically designed to significantly expand your chord know-how and vocabulary.
Brad covers a range of styles, levels , chord types and progressions across 10 editions: CAGED Chords, Jazz Blues Progressions, Open String Chords, Rock and Pop Progressions, Slow Blues Progressions, Evolving Blues, Evolving Triads, Slash Chords, Power Chords and Beginner Chords.
Each of the 15 Studies within an edition includes an overview from Brad followed by a performance and play-along of the chord study over a rhythm track. Chord grid charts and a chord lead sheet accompanies each study. Plus, you’ll get all of the practice rhythm tracks to work with on your own.
Reference the chord charts to become familiar with the voicings and their fingerings, and then use the lead sheet to play-along with Brad’s video performance. Try different rhythmic patterns over the supplied rhythm tracks and then take it all to your own playlist of songs and jam tracks.
What you'll learn
Play power chord progressions using hybrid picking technique
Apply guide finger technique for smoother chord transitions
Create single-note melodic changes within power chord shapes
Apply proper string muting with redundant dampening
Create keyboard-like articulations and accents on guitar
Hi this is Brad Carlton. Welcome to this Guitar Lab edition focused on power chord applications. Each individual edition of this Guitar Lab series features fifteen studies focused on a particular application of chords. I designed this series to provide you with unlimited creative options for crafting interesting and compelling rhythm guitar parts. Across the series we'll explore essential and exotic chord voicings, all purpose substitutions, creative approaches, and performance techniques. in this pack you are going to study power chords. You may already be playing some power chords but there are many different ways that you can voice these. You can use adjacent strings, you can skip strings, and you'll learn a lot of interesting ways to create sounds that aren't just guitar based. I'll break down and demonstrate the chord studies over rhythm tracks in a variety of styles using chord progressions commonly encountered in that style. You'll also get chord diagrams that will clearly give you the left hand fingerings and you'll get the jam tracks for you to work with on your own.
2Power Chords Vol. 1
In this pack you're going to study power chords. Now you may already be playing some power chords, but there are many different ways that you can voice these. You can use adjacent strings, you can skip strings, and you'll learn a lot of interesting ways to create sounds that aren't just guitar-based. You'll learn to think in terms of keyboard approaches, and just orchestrating your voices so that you get some really great sounds and creative sound with these power chords.
3Five & Dime
This progression is based on the Em pentatonic scale, and we're just using power chords. Your index finger is going to do a barre on the second fret, fourth and fifth strings for the E5. Make sure on the G5 that you are muting the fifth string. To get the A5 drop your index finger down and you've got a great sounding progression.
4Five & Dime
This progression is based on the Em pentatonic scale, and we're just using power chords. Your index finger is going to do a barre on the second fret, fourth and fifth strings for the E5. Make sure on the G5 that you are muting the fifth string. To get the A5 drop your index finger down and you've got a great sounding progression.
5First Position Power
In this progression you are playing four different power chords, but staying down in first position. You start with an F5 , and then move your third finger over one string nod lift up your other fingers to get the G5 chord. Using the same shape as the F5, but now moving to a fifth string root we get the B♭5. Remember when you're getting the C5 to mute the fourth string!
6First Position Power
In this progression you are playing four different power chords, but staying down in first position. You start with an F5 , and then move your third finger over one string nod lift up your other fingers to get the G5 chord. Using the same shape as the F5, but now moving to a fifth string root we get the B♭5. Remember when you're getting the C5 to mute the fourth string!
7Fourth Guide
Here we have a funky power chord progression in G. The first G5 is probably one of the most common guitar chord voices and a lot of you probably already know it by now. Your fourth finger will act as a guide finger as you move into the D5. When moving to the C5 your fourth finger will again be a guide as it slides down two frets. As you start the progression over, your fourth finger will be a pivot.
This is one in a series of chord study courses that Brad Carlton has produced with TrueFire.
Like the other courses, this one follows the blueprint of presenting 15 chord progressions using different voicings (power chords, in this instance) that the student can watch and play along with.
This is a really good and enjoyable way of embedding some new chord voicings into your playing (as well as seriously strengthening your rhythm playing) and Brad also provides some useful insights about each example.
S
solinski
Verified buyer
05/11/21
Great info
This course provides many different ways to play power chords, other than just playing "5" chords on the 6th and 5th strings. Great alternatives for when jumping around the neck to play a chord isn't practical.
